


Home Away From Home

by c0smic_eternity



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-05-11 16:02:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5632564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0smic_eternity/pseuds/c0smic_eternity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You finally took the leap and decided to fly across the country on a scholarship to a small liberal arts school. While living in LA has been your dream, you were afraid of spending your days homesick and alone. It all changes when you get assigned a project in your speech class, and you end up meeting the enigma that is Daniel Avidan and his interesting cast of friends.<br/>(Previously "The Change I Was Looking For")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It All Starts Here

Starting college was easier said than done.  


You looked at your dorm room, your bed claimed with a flowery comforter tucked across it. Your pillows were stacked neatly against the brick wall, each of them stuffed into a different colored pillow case that accented the comforter. In an effort to make the room a little more homey, a string of Companion Cube lights were strung around the bars of your provided loft bed. Beneath, another string of The Legend of Zelda themed lights framed the small workspace above the desk, along with a large whiteboard and a few markers that were stuck to it. The scuffed desk held your shiny new laptop, your textbooks, notebooks and folders, along with a brand-new pack of mechanical pencils. An unopened sketchbook you had splurged on was tucked in the mess of supplies somewhere. A small office chair was tucked under the desk, the wheels overlapping onto the gray area rug you had bought that covered most of the cold tile floor. You were glad you bought it, because you couldn’t afford a futon to sit on for watching the TV you had taken from your room back home. That said TV sat on top of the dresser in front of your loft bed, with your Wii U sitting beside it, hooked up for the weekends and free time. Your side of the room was littered with photos of your friends back home; something you knew would keep you company on your lonelier days when making friends on campus wasn't working out too well. You took a deep breath. All that was left was to meet your roommate.  


After rearranging your clothes in the dresser multiple times, the door finally opened. You froze, looking up like a deer in the headlights. You immediately saw black hair swishing around as the girl pulled in a large suitcase. Once the door closed behind her, she took a deep breath and turned to face you. Immediately you were met with striking green eyes, lined uniquely, but nonetheless perfect eyeliner. You noticed now that she had a single platinum blonde streak in her hair that was pulled back in a neat ponytail. She was also dressed to kill in a black sweater with a silver pentagram, high-waisted shorts with silver studs lining the pockets, black thigh-high socks, and the highest-heeled black sneakers you had ever seen. To complete the look, a headband with large, pointed silver studs sat atop her head. You suddenly felt underdressed for your move-in day in your white lace crop-top and your pink shorts adorned with flowers of every color.  


"Hey," She greeted, letting go of her suitcase handle to hold her hand out towards you. "I'm Suzy!"  


"(Y/N)," You answered, taking her hand and shaking it politely. "Your outfit looks amazing."  


"Thanks!" Her small, burgundy-painted lips curled into a smile. "I like yours too." You knew there was no way she could find your simple outfit appealing, but you appreciated the compliment nonetheless. You closed your dresser drawer and moved to sit in your swivel chair to give her space to start unloading her stuff. You were unsure what to do with yourself, so you began organizing your desk by moving some of the supplies into your backpack. You felt relieved that despite her striking beauty, she seemed very approachable. You didn’t want to have to go through the process of switching roommates on top of the stress of your first term of college. Instead, you felt like you might have a friend in the midst of this mess after all.  


“I’m guessing this is my dresser?” She asked, throwing her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the left side of the room.  


“Uh, yeah.” You stammered. “We can switch sides if you don’t like-”  


“No, no! It’s fine.” She laid her suitcase on the floor and began unzipping it. “I wouldn’t want to make you redo all of this awesome decorating you did.” She gestured towards your lights that were strung up by adhesive hooks around your desk. “I love those Zelda lights!”  


“Really?” You asked, looking back at the job you did. “I had them in my room back home. I thought they would be nice to bring with.”  


"Where are you from?" She asked as she began pulling more extravagant clothing from her suitcase and placing them neatly in the top drawer of her own dresser.  


"Chicago," You answered as you thumbed through the blank pages of one of your notebooks before tucking it into the backpack. "Is it that easy to tell I'm not a California native?"  


"You have a bit of an accent," She smiled again. You realized you really liked that smile. "Needed to get away from the cold?"  


"Something like that," You smirked. "You're from around here I take it?"  


"Oh no. I'm from Florida, actually."  


"Needed to get away from the bugs?"  


"I love bugs, actually!" She looked back to give you a warming smile. "It’s always been my dream to come to California. I figured college would be a good chance to finally do it."  


“We think alike,” You opened the pack of mechanical pencils and began placing them into your new pencil case. “I figured I might as well do it now and experience it and just pay it back later.”  


“You have the right idea.”  
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You only had the weekend to adjust to your new surroundings. You spent some of it alone, which was surprising. Suzy had mentioned she knew some people on campus, which was a huge factor on why she chose this specific school. You felt a little jealous, but you wouldn’t let it show, especially since you didn’t know her very well. By the time Monday morning rolled around, you woke up and dressed yourself in something you hoped would give you a fighting chance against your roommate's impeccable fashion sense: a navy blue ruffled tank top, a pair of hot pink shorts, and some white strappy sandals. It was all tied with a large gold chained necklace with pink feathers hanging off of it and some gold studs in your ears. After applying some light makeup, and attempting to do your eyeliner as well as Suzy (you would have to ask her to teach you her ways some other time), you grabbed your backpack and headed out onto campus towards your first class of the day.  


You made sure to get to class especially early for a good spot. Going to a smaller, private school has its perks in this case; lecture halls didn't exist. The classroom had a maximum of 35 seats, and only a few had been claimed by students who woke up earlier than you. You decided on a spot in the middle of the room to hide you just enough from being called on, but also enough to make it looked like you were somewhat interested in the class. You spent your next fifteen minutes until class started scrolling through social media until the door closed and you looked up with a jolt. After looking around, you realized the class was mostly filled, and the professor was beginning to hand out the syllabus and introduce herself. You slid your phone into your pocket and looked over the papers as she gave a synopsis.  
“Now, I know it’s the first day, but I’m going to be assigning you all your groups that you will be working with this term.” She adjusted her glasses. “When I call your name, raise your hand so your other group members can see you, please.”  


You felt a little anxious at being assigned to a group with two strangers, but also a little relieved that you will be doing partner speeches for the duration of the course. The professor began calling out names, and hands began to sporadically burst into the air. When your name was called, you raised your hand nonchalantly, but when your partners’ names were called, a loud clap was heard behind you. You looked back, and in the back row sat an extremely tall, thin boy with untamable curly hair. His face was framed in thick stubble, and his eyes were lit up in excitement. He wore an old school Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt with jeans that were faded and had lots of tears; you were unsure if they came that way or if he had done it himself. The other person he had just high-fived had straight hair clipped short, but had a full beard covering the lower half of his face. He wore a short-sleeved flannel and some dark jeans, but looked much cleaner than his companion. The tall man, who you had just learned was named Daniel Avidan, flashed you a killer grin and waved. His other friend, Barry, you thought you had heard, waved as well, but had a much more excited look. You waved back hesitantly, but quickly turned around, your face sizzling.  


“Our first project is going to be fairly simple: I want each of you to do a speech on your group members. This is a good chance for you to familiarize yourself with your partners, along with their writing styles. I would like to have rough drafts done by this Friday. I’ll give you some time at the end of class to meet with each other and exchange contact information.” The professor then dove into the components that made a good speech while you stared at the dip in your desk where your pencil was resting, contemplating the storm that was surely coming.  


Taking a speech class was the last course you wanted to take, but because you lived all the way in Chicago, you had to align an orientation date with your mom’s paycheck so you could fly out here. You managed to make it out on the last date, meaning you got stuck with classes that had already been picked over. The class was still a requirement for graduation, so it wasn’t a complete waste of your money. You just wished you could have pushed it off until your junior or senior year. Another factor was that you weren’t sure if you were going to like your assigned group or not. You got a strong vibe that they were the type of boys you disliked in high school; the ones who didn’t do their work and thought they were the funniest people to grace the earth. You tried to shush your impressions, because it wasn’t very fair to assume how they were when you hadn’t talked to them yet. They had also managed to get into college, so they had to have some work ethic. You just hoped it was as strong a work ethic as yours.  


When the professor had finally called for everyone to meet with their group, it was about 5 minutes before class was scheduled to end. You had another one right after this, and it was a little bit of a walk from the building you were in right now, so you were thankful. The room erupted in chatter as people moved across the room to meet with their assigned members. You stood and stretched, unsure if you should approach the two boys or wait for them to join you. They were both sitting together though, so you decided to walk back to them, your backpack hanging loosely off of your right shoulder. Dan was reclined in his seat while Barry was scrolling through his phone.  


“(Y/N), right?” The curly-haired man asked. You nodded your head. “I’m Dan, and that’s Barry.” Barry held his hand up in greeting as he locked his phone and set it on the desk.  


“Hey, is this the same (Y/N) that Suzy told us about?” Barry asked, turning to look at Dan. He scratched his stubbly chin while his eyes looked you up and down.  


“Is your roommate Suzy Berhow?”  


“Um, I don’t know her last name, but I do have a roommate named Suzy.” You answered, smiling hesitantly. Chills suddenly jolted down your spine. You wondered if these were the people Suzy had been out with during the weekend. You were also curious as to what she told them about you. Had you done something wrong? Was she making fun of you behind your back? You had only wanted to make a good first impression-  


“Shit, she’s the one who has all the Zelda lights ‘n stuff!” Dan’s eyes suddenly lit up as he nudged Barry excitedly. You exhaled quietly in relief. Deciding that was enough emotion distress for one day, you slid into the seat in front of Danny and began fiddling with the case on your phone. “Oh, yeah! We should exchange numbers.”  
You slid your phone over to Dan with a new contact opened up. He typed in his information with his unusually large thumbs while you took his and delicately typed yours in. The gargantuan before you then passed your phone over to Barry, whom then passed his phone to you. After your carousel of phones was over, you tucked yours away in your back pocket of your shorts, and stood up from you chair.  


“So,” You began, trying to adjust your shorts. They always rode up your thighs when you sat down. “I’m free any day this week, so if you guys just wanna shoot me a text when you’re available, that’s cool with me.”  


“We’ll probably be by your room later,” Danny flicked his wrist towards you in a dismissing manner. “Don’t worry, Barry and I got this.”  


You really hoped they did.


	2. Danny Who?

When you returned to your dorm after your classes, you were a little disappointed to find the room devoid of persons. After meeting the interesting duo of Danny and Barry, you wanted to interrogate Suzy on them and get a feel for their personalities. You also wanted to ask her exactly what she had told them about you. For the time being, you decided to set your bag down next to your desk and get started on your book for your English class. You changed into a pair of pajama shorts that were a little too small on you, and a well-worn tank top before climbing up into your bed. You thought you would enjoy the sweltering heat of a southern California summer after the bitter cold the Windy City brought, but you realized you were ill-adjusted after seeing the sweaty and oily condition of your face after a few hours. You were glad you got placed into a building with air conditioning. You rested your pillows against the wall and settled in before cracking open the cover of the novel. 

You jolted from the bed when the door to your dorm flew open. Sitting up and rubbing your eyes, you glanced over the railing to see Suzy setting her stuff down and moving to sit at her desk. You glanced at your phone that you pulled out from under you and saw it was nearly 5 PM. You decided to grab your book and climb down the latter, alerting her to your presence. She one again had on a killer outfit; she was dressed in a blue and red plaid dress with a white collar and white short-sleeves poking out. Three leather belts were cinched around her waist, and she was wearing black tights with another pair of extremely high-heeled shoes that were adorned in studs and spikes. 

“Oh, hey!” She greeted, turning her chair to face you. You yawned and held your hand up in greeting. “I didn’t know you were in here. Did I wake you up?” 

“I needed to get up anyway.” You assured her as you zipped up your backpack. You fell into your desk chair across from hers. “How was your day?” 

“Pretty average,” She answered, digging in her own bag and pulling out her laptop. “Syllabus stuff and introductions. Everything is just so laid back.”

“I got assigned a group project already,” You groaned. The thoughts of curly-haired, lanky Dan filled your mind and you remembered the interrogation you needed to give Suzy. “With some people who said they knew me through you.” 

“Who?” She asked, intrigued. 

“Uh, Dan and Barry?” 

“Oh!” She smiled warmly. “I’ve known them for a few years. What did they say?” 

“To quote the guy with the crazy hair, he said ‘shit, she’s the one with the Zelda lights ‘n stuff’.” Suzy laughed while you smiled, the hilarity of his comment finally sinking in. You felt yourself becoming more relaxed with the situation instead of stressed out as you spoke to someone about it. “What else did you tell them about me?” 

“Just that you seemed pretty cool. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them anything bad.” 

“Good!” You scooted your desk chair across the tile floor and grabbed the gamepad off of the top of your Wii U. You powered it on and loaded up Super Smash Bros. “I was worried I would be stuck all term with two people who thought I was into sacrificing children or something.” 

“What’s the project on?” She asked from her spot at her desk, her laptop open and her gaze focused on the screen. 

“We have to give speeches on each other,” You explained as you mashed the buttons. You didn’t realize how rusty you had gotten at the game. “Like, I have to write a speech talking about Dan and Barry, and Dan has to write a speech on me and Barry, you get the idea.” 

“Well, if you need to know some stuff about Danny…” Suzy stood from her desk carrying her laptop and brought it over to where you were seated on your side of the room, your legs crossed with your feet resting on the top of your dresser while you reclined back in your desk chair. You paused your game and looked to see that YouTube had been pulled up on the screen. A video from some channel dubbed "Ninja Sex Party" was playing. Then, you saw the same Dan from your speech class that you have known for a total of 5 hours dancing around in a shimmery kimono and white tube socks with the most awful gym shoes you have ever seen. 

"How do you know him?" You asked as you watched the YouTube video that you equated to a train wreck that you couldn’t turn away from. 

"My boyfriend is an animator, and Dan does music. They found each other online and worked together on a few projects." She explained. She began typing in the search bar again and pulled up another music video. 

"Oh my God," You laughed. You couldn’t believe this was the same Dan. While he was rocking the homeless look quite well, he had a very genuine smile and a chiseled face. You always had a thing for unshaven men. He also towered over you, which was another check in your repertoire of turn-ons. You found yourself oddly unsettled at the idea of finding someone who serenaded about dicks attractive. These videos gave you an entirely different perspective on the enigma that was Daniel Avidan. Or, in this case: “Did he just say ‘Danny Sexbang’?” 

"Danny Y. Sexbang, actually." Suzy looked up at you through her perfectly pasted fake eyelashes. You started laughing even harder. 

"What does the Y stand for?" 

"It stands for 'you'. He claims it 'envelopes you in the sensuality'." 

"Who's the other guy?" You asked, pointing to the man dressed head to toe in a black ninja costume. Some sort of yellow, swirly decal sat atop his chest. 

"Oh, that's Brian. Well, Ninja Brian if we're talking about his persona." 

"Does he go here too?" 

"No, he graduated last year." She brushed her long, dark hair over her shoulder. “He headed off to graduate school. They still meet up sometimes between his travel for research and stuff.” 

“Research?” You echoed. 

“Oh, I forgot.” She smiled fondly. “He’s getting a PhD in theoretical physics. If you met him, you would know. He mentions it all the time.” 

All you could think of what how interesting of a duo they were. You continued to watch the obviously cheesy music video from the display of laughable effects and the questionable, and sometimes sexual, lyrics. Danny was the one belting out lyrics, his talent catching you off guard. It then cut into an animated part, which you assumed Suzy's boyfriend you had only heard about in stories had animated. After one look at the colors and the lines, the gears in your head started turning. You remembered seeing that exact art style when you were in high school, and how it had influenced you to leap from traditional artwork into the digital world. You remember how you begged your parents for a drawing tablet, and when they finally delivered, spent years trying to learn how to use it to the extent that animator did. 

“Your boyfriend is Egoraptor?” You looked at Suzy, deadpanned. She shrugged and nodded her head. “You know that he’s like, the whole reason I wanted to go into animation, right? Oh my God, don’t tell him I said that!” 

“He won’t be weirded out!” She assured you, closing her laptop. “He gets that pretty often when we go to conventions.” 

You found yourself slightly star-struck. With one glance at the subscriber number for each channel, it was hard to react casually. She continued on to tell you about Barry and how he was not only Dan’s roommate, but their resident video editor. You learned Danny, as Suzy referred to him, grew up in New Jersey, where he met his comedy-band partner Brian. They had only one album under their belt that the duo created during their time on campus, with another one in the works. It had all started out as a project for a class but when they saw the good reception, they decided to keep going, and ended up making it huge online. Arin and Suzy both grew up in Florida and worked at Disney World together, but had met at a convention. You smiled as she fondly retold her “love at first sight” story. She then mentioned someone named Ross, who was also an animator, and his long-time girlfriend Holly who both also went to the school. Ross was an Australian student who studied abroad here for a term and ended up staying he liked it so much in the states. He met Holly here, and the two had been inseparable ever since. 

You were amazed to hear about this entangling web of friendship surrounding an online platform. Your parents would have found it so ridiculous, which is maybe why it intrigued you so much. Suzy seemed perfectly content with getting you wrapped up in it as well, even though you practically felt insignificant around them and their achievements, mentioning how you would surely meet her giant cast of friends. You were unsure though – your life sounded, and felt, so dull and uninteresting suddenly. The absolute last thing you wanted was to be that kid who was trying so hard to run with the big dogs on campus. You weren’t even sure if any of you had much more in common than video games and an interest in animation. Despairingly, you thought if it boiled down to you not being compatible with anyone, you could just switch roommates and hide for all of eternity, ashamed you weren’t what they wanted in their cast of friends. You really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

Suddenly, three knocks rapped sharply against the door, snapping you from your self-loathing thoughts. Suzy stood up gracefully and cracked the door before opening it all the way when you assumed she recognized the faces. In walked Danny, still in his same outfit from earlier in the day. Behind him wasn’t Barry, but instead a man of the same height but with a much stockier build. He had a well-trimmed goatee and jaw-length brown hair with the same blond streak as Suzy. After that clue, it was easy to determine that this stranger was Arin. Suzy and Dan embraced in a quick hug before she went over to give her boyfriend a light peck on the lips. You understood why she wore such tall heels now. She introduced the two of you quickly, and you both exchanged warm hellos. Dan then looked to you, and nodded his head upwards in greeting before smiling. You felt yourself suddenly flustered in his presence, embarrassed for your gross sleep clothes and feeling like you weren’t looking like the solid 10 you were. 

“You look comfortable,” He commented. You quietly sighed in relief at him being the first to speak. You grabbed your gamepad from where you had set it when Suzy was showing you the videos. 

“I was playing Smash,” You waved the controller around as proof for some reason. You then realized that was something an idiot would do, and that you needed to seriously chill out. “Until I got distracted by something else.” You smirked knowingly, but he just smiled back politely. 

“Hey, we’re going to grab dinner if you wanna go.” Suzy asked, looking at you. Arin and Dan looked to you expectantly, like it was common knowledge you were supposed to come. You blinked at them all owlishly, feeling like it was some elaborate joke on your behalf. You kicked yourself mentally, your brain screaming to say something before the silence dragged on uncomfortably. 

“Yeah, sure.” You stammered before you stood from your seat and stretched. “Just lemme change real quick.” 

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You didn’t realize how hungry you were until the doors to the dining hall pushed open and the smell of pizza wafted towards you. It was dinner time, meaning the line was curled around to the entrance. You four took a spot at the back of the queue after swiping your IDs. A perk of living on campus was the extra three days before classes started to get acquainted to how the system worked, and where the food you liked the most was at, meaning after you grabbed a plate and some silverware it wouldn’t take you too long. While you four waited, small talk flowed naturally. First about how it was for you and Suzy being freshman, followed by how Dan was ready to make his last year count. 

“You’re a senior?” You asked incredulously. 

“Yeah, man!” He smiled. “I can’t believe it either. The four years go by so fast.” 

“What about you?” You asked, looking to Arin. 

“Sophomore,” He answered. “Dan is the old man who hangs out with young kids to stay hip.” 

“Hey, be happy you have a senior looking out for your baby ass! I could have been a dick and given you wrong directions or something on the first day.” 

“You’re too nice for that, Danny.” Suzy interjected. 

“Also he is madly in love with me,” Arin assured you while Dan laughed at the remark. 

Finally, the line moved forward enough for each of you to grab a plate and silverware. You headed towards the tempting aroma of pizza, and found all three of them had followed behind you. After grabbing yourself a piece and a small side salad, you entered the seating area. It was overflowing with students, the rumble of conversation making it hard for you to hear Suzy mention eating outside. The four of you headed out the glass doors and claimed one of the scuffed metal benches painted in school colors. Arin took his seat next to Suzy, leaving you to sit down next to Danny. The sun had turned the sky a beautiful pink color as it began to set. Cicadas buzzed in the trees above you while you watched some students playing Frisbee in the field across the street and while others biked by on the sidewalks mere feet away from you. It was an enjoyable sight while you began to munch on your mediocre food. 

“Oh!” Danny suddenly exclaimed around a mouthful of pizza. 

“Dude, there’s ladies here.” Arin chided after he swallowed his slice. He slid his arm around Suzy’s petite shoulders for emphasis. “Don’t start spewing your food everywhere.” 

“Shut up,” Danny rolled his eyes as he swallowed what was left of his food. He then turned to you. “I was gonna say now is as good a time as any to get to know you for this speech thing!” 

“Oh,” You blinked at him before setting your slice down and wiping your hands on the napkin you had under your plate. You were surprised he had mentioned it; the paper had already slipped your mind. You found it scarily easy to forget everything when you looked into his molten caramel eyes. 

“Okay, start.”


	3. The Surprises Never End

You and Danny had ended up talking about each of your respective backgrounds. You heard from his own mouth some of the traits Suzy had clued you in on, but also some neat little tidbits (like his infatuation with Skittles). He seemed like such a down-to-earth person, which was extremely comforting when you saw his online following. He had even mentioned how he played a show back home, which made you even more star-struck than you thought you could be. After you all had finished your food, you and Suzy headed back to your hall while the two boys went back to theirs on the other side of campus. When you were finally reading your assigned book chapters, you found your mind wandering back to him. At this point it was appropriate to say that you had a bit of a crush on the older man. You laughed at how ridiculous it was, considering his goofy nature and his untamable hair that seemed to have a mind of its own. You couldn’t fool yourself into thinking they were flaws; they just added to your infatuation. He had such a genuine, charming smile. You were sure if he ever hugged you, it would cure any ailment you had, or ever would be inflicted with. The mere thoughts to spending time with him send a comfortable warmth through your body. But, you decided it would be best to keep your love unrequited. You figured he would have no interest in a freshman when he was so close to the end. He had hopes and dreams that were bigger than the world itself, and he was going to fulfill every one of them. He didn’t need you holding him down. It was a tad depressing, but you thought it better to realize now than later when you were in too deep. 

The next morning, you had a small gap to sleep in before you headed to your animation course. You were a little more than excited; there was a bit more pep in your step as you went through your morning routine. Suzy was still asleep, so you assumed she once again had afternoon classes. You once again tried to look a bit more presentable, throwing on a pair of teal shorts adorned in little yellow seahorses, a lacy white tank top, and teal sandals with gold accents. You headed out the door silently with a granola bar in your mouth and a bottled Frappuccino in your hand. Approaching the computer science building, you realized it looked a lot like the other buildings on campus. There were large, dramatic stone steps that led to the wooden doors. The building was beginning to crumble on the exterior, but the intricate stone designs that were carved about the entrance seemed to be in a decent condition. You headed inside, your feet clacking on the tile of the foyer. You picked one of the two staircases with polished wood banisters that spiraled upwards, your footsteps causing the carpet-covered wood to creak under your weight. Once you reached the landing, you found a large group of students had already queued in the open area that you assumed was right outside the locked classroom door. You decided to stand in the back, lurking on the outskirts of the clustered group and check your email and various social media while you waited for the professor to arrive. 

“Hey, (Y/N)!” You heard a voice call from behind you. Coming up the stairs was Arin, sporting a pastel pink Sailor Moon shirt and comfortable sweatpants. You found it odd how dressed down the man constantly was compared to his girlfriend, but you admired how they had their own enjoyments and that they didn’t (seemingly) conflict with each other’s. You locked your phone and stuffed it back into your pocket of your shorts before smiling. Arin had a friend in tow whom you had never seen: he had short, brown hair swept to the left side of his forehead and was a bit shorter and certainly thinner. He had on a black t-shirt with a simple grey hoodie and faded blue jeans. He looked a lot younger, him being the only man out of their cast of friends who was lacking in facial hair. He smiled very cat-like before jutting his hand out towards you. You held yours out hesitantly and shook it.

“Hey, I’m Ross!” He greeted. Your mind was suddenly filled of stories retold by Arin, Danny, and Suzy yesterday during your pleasant dinner of how genuinely nice, but oddly sadistic he was. There was also a running joke about hating him, and how he was always the cause of their problems. You smiled in return and said your name aloud.  
“Arin told me you’re into animation too!” You nodded your head, wondering internally as to why they spoke of you so much. You also wondered when you were going to have completed meeting all of their cast of friends. It never ceased to surprise you to see how many people they knew.

“I would have thought you guys took this class already,” You thought aloud as you looked between the two men. Arin shrugged.

“I had to take a ton of prerequisites last year ‘cause I got like, all F’s in high school.” He explained before running a hand through his jaw-length hair. “Built up my elective requirements at least, so it wasn’t a total fucking waste of my time.”

“I’m actually the preceptor for this term,” Ross corrected. Arin rolled his eyes and smirked at you while the shorter man continued. “The professor said I was super helpful with other students when I took the class.”

“Helpful?” Arin scoffed. “You probably made sure they like, did really shitty so you looked good in comparison and then like, laughed at them for trusting you.

“Hey, I always encourage people to draw!” He then pointed to you. “Don’t ever stop drawing, (Y/N).”

You snickered to yourself just as an older, short man came up the steps behind you. He had a messenger bag over his shoulder, and a coffee in his right hand. He greeted Ross personally, and motioned for him to follow. Ross held up a hand to signal you and Arin a farewell before they pushed through the crowd and headed into the classroom. Everyone funneled in shortly afterwards, filling up the open seats at the computers. You followed Arin, hoping you didn’t seem too much like a lost puppy when you sat yourself down at the station next to the one he had chosen. He seemed pleased though, making a comment to you about how they had the new Wacom Cintiqs. You were pleased as well, having never used a tablet that nice (or expensive) before. You logged in quickly before looking up front to see Ross seated in a tall swivel chair. He made eye contact with you and raised his eyebrows before the professor cut him off by addressing the class. He started with the usual introduction before handing Ross a stack of white papers to hand out. He looked at the back of the professor’s head with an annoyed scowl before standing up and passing them down the rows. Arin and you giggled a bit at your friend's obvious misunderstanding of what a preceptor would be this term. Ross made sure to slam both of your papers down at each of your stations before returning up front, and effectively returning your attention back to the professor who had been speaking the whole time.

About halfway through the class, he finally let you roam free to create a short animation. It was just writing your name over and over in every frame, but the end result was somewhat charming. During this time though, you realized just how hard it was to pay attention when you had Ross and Arin constantly screwing around beside you. They had completely disregarded the assignment and had been drawing horribly grotesque Pokémon and making them waddle around on the screen. You tried to stifle back your ridiculous laughter so you didn’t alert the rest of the class to your idiocy. Due to their experience in Adobe Flash though, when the professor finally came around to check on everyone, he couldn’t bring himself to reprimand the boys. He gave Arin a small warning on making sure he did the assigned labs and turning them in on time, and Ross a warning on how he should be helping the other students.

The class was over before you knew it, and the three of you walked down the crumbling concrete steps of the building and onto the main stretch of sidewalk. You wondered if choosing a seat next to Arin was the smartest thing for you to do considering the trouble he had with focusing in class. You thought back to when you were trying to find something the professor had mentioned, and how Ross was right there to assist you. It was nice that he seemed very willing to help between the ridiculousness he was a part of. You figured you could make it work. The three of you headed in the direction of the dorms, but immediately into your trek, your phone buzzed from its spot on your hip.

_Barry and I have some free time today - u free to meet for lunch?_

You stared at the message that read in your phone’s familiar font Dan while Arin and Ross talked excitedly next to you about the new wave of amiibos that had just been announced. Butterflies filled your stomach immediately, but you tried to quell them immediately. You were meeting him to do what you assumed was classwork, and with his other friend. This was nowhere near going on a date. Still, your mind was flooded with memories from the night before, watching him laugh with a mouth full of pizza, his hair fluffy from just washing it, and the sunset blazing behind him. You glanced at the clock at the top of your screen and figured it was about time to grab some food after your meager breakfast. You thought intensely on how to phrase your response before you began typing, effectively zoning out of the conversation in the air surrounding you. 

_Yeah! Where do u wanna meet?_

_Coffee house on campus. You know where it is, right freshie?_

_Yeah I do asshole. I'll be there in 5_

"Hey, I gotta head to the coffee house to meet with Dan and Barry for our project." You announced, throwing your thumb over your shoulder in reference to its location further back. You all stopped on the sidewalk while the group who had been following behind you guys suddenly swerved and walked into the grass before resuming on the concrete in front of you. You felt a little bad to bringing everyone to a halt in the middle of the path, and while the group seemed mildly annoyed, Ross and Arin seemed unfazed. "I'll see you guys later!"

"I'll go with you." Ross decided, turning away from Arin. "Holly should be working right now, and I feel like bothering her."

"You coming?" You looked to Arin, silently assuring him he was more than welcome to come. He shook his head gently.

"Nah, I gotta film with Suzy for a little bit today." He held his hand up as he departed. "I'll see you guys later!" You watched as he adjusted his messenger bag and continued forwards towards your dorm room. You and Ross turned around and started towards the coffee house.

Upon entrance to the small brick building, you sighed at the familiar aroma of brewing coffee. Students had already begun camping out in the room to the left, many sporting headphones and laptops, working away silently with small sandwiches or Starbucks cups on their tables. Potted plants hung on the walls, the vines and stems hanging over the scuffed pots. There was a small fireplace that was shut off for the warmer months surrounded by leather sofas, and decorative rugs adorned the sitting area. The lighting was also dim, but the blinds on the large windows had been pulled up, allowing the warm afternoon sunlight to stream in, tying together the cozy feeling they were trying to achieve. Music was softly streaming through the speakers above, mingling in the air with the hushed chatter of the line before you. You looked around and noticed Barry had secured a table for all of you, but Dan wasn’t present. You stood at the back of the shop, deciding your next move. After a quick glance at the menu, you figured a panini sounded amazing, along with the strawberry lemonade you saw multiple people walking away with.

“Hey!” The cashier greeted when you had finally gotten to the front. The most obvious part of her was her pastel pink hair, cropped short but still maintaining a natural wave with short bangs that stretched along her forehead. She had one of the signature green aprons tried around her waist with a small name tag that had her name written in formal handwriting, along with dozens of stickers of little birds. You remembered Suzy mentioning how she had a fascination with feathered friends. You had to remember to ask her if you could see one.

“Holly, this is (Y/N)! The one Suzy told us about!” Ross chimed in, butting next to you to speak to his girlfriend.

“Oh, hi! Nice to meet you!” She smiled warmly before leaning forward onto the countertop. “I’m Holly!”

“I love your little bird stickers!” You commented.

“You like birbs too?” Her eyes lit up immediately at the mention. “You should come by our apartment sometime to see Lieutenant Birb! He’s this pigeon I rescued and he’s adorable.”

The three of you jumped into a discussion on birds (or as Holly so affectionately called them, birbs) after she took your order. As she prepared your lemonade and stuck your sandwich in the press, she confided in you a dream she had of getting a bird enclosure so she could rescue more of them. Ross gently reminded her how they would do that as soon as they graduated, which you found absolutely endearing. You were so involved in the conversation that when you shoulder was suddenly nudged, you almost jumped.

“Whoa, sorry!” Dan apologized, looking down at your around his massive hair. You gently punched him in the arm and he laughed before grabbing it in mock-pain. Today, he was sporting a plain grey t-shirt with a lighter, olive-toned jacket paired with the same style of jeans he had on yesterday.

“You’re such an ass,” You have him a half smirk.

“Let me start over,” He stepped back and turned around, staring into the seating area before spinning back around to face you. He sauntered over and leaned against the counter in front of you, his left elbow resting on the dark green marbled granite. You were nearly shoulder to shoulder at this point, the contact making you feel incredibly warm inside. His half-lidded eyes bored into yours and he flashed you a sensual smirk. You giggled and tried to act like he was being absolutely ridiculous, but you were sure you felt your cheeks flush a deep red while your stomach did somersaults and your brain nearly short-circuited. “Hey. You come here often?”

“Dan!” Ross called, clapping him on the back and effectively cutting off your chance to give him a witty (but just as flirtatious) response. Your logical side tried to tell you it was a good thing, but you knew you were truly upset he had ruined such a good opportunity. Danny straightened up from his spot and looked the short man with annoyance. You wanted to give Ross that exact same look. “You look as homeless as ever.”

“Shut up, Ross.” Danny groaned. “I was hoping I wouldn’t see you, like, at all this term.”

“Well, if you have to work with (Y/N), I’ll be sure to find out from her where you are.” He smirked at the taller man before leaning forward on the counter with his forearms outstretched on the granite. You were now sandwiched between the two boys. If only your mother could see you now.

“Who said I would tell you?” You interjected. Ross shrugged like he didn’t care either way while Danny laughed.

“Yeah, we’re partners. We have each other’s backs.”

“Dan!” Holly called, returning to the counter with your strawberry lemonade and your warm panini you had ordered. You licked your lips in anticipation as she slid the icy cup along the counter, condensation already beading up on the outside. You took your food thankfully, then looked between the two as they greeted each other and joked at Ross’ expense. “The usual for you, right?”

“You got it,” He nodded his head. His drink came about as quickly as yours did, but when Holly handed Dan his large, iced green tea, she sighed in relief. The rush had finally ended, the three of you being the last ones in line. You and Dan decided it was about time you joined Barry after leaving him alone for so long, so you wished Holly a good rest of her day, and mentioned how nice it was to meet her. Ross remained, most likely opting to hang out until her shift actually ended. You followed behind Danny to the table where Barry sat, glasses perched on his nose. You noted that they made him look much more mature-looking. He had a stack of papers he was looking over in his hand.

“Finally!” He groaned, leaning back in his seat and tossing the papers on the table. Dan took the seat adjacent to his, so you fell into the one across from Barry. He looked between the both of you sipping your respective drinks. “Where’s mine?”

“Oh, sorry dude!” Danny looked genuinely upset, like Barry was being serious. “Do you want me to get you one?”

“I’m joking.” Barry smiled before motioning to the papers in his hand. “We gotta get to work anyway; I have class in an hour.”

The next hour was spent between the three of you, discussing what would be considered necessary for the speeches. You each only had a three minute time limit, meaning you had to keep it short and sweet. Barry had a list with major traits for each of you – you were about to ask how he had obtained anything about you, but you remembered your short interrogation from Dan last night. You asked to see the sheet, and smiled to yourself at all the little bits he remembered that was scrawled out in his handwriting. Some of them were obvious: your major, hometown, and family to name a few. Then it became a bit more personal, delving into your interests that someone who knew you well would be able to name easily. You tried to remind yourself that this was all for a presentation, but it was hard to distinguish between what was considered work and what was considered becoming a friend at this point. Barry took the liberty of writing down about Dan, while Dan also wrote down traits about Barry. You claimed stake in Barry, deciding you had been neglecting him during the project so far. You were surprised when Dan didn’t fight you on it, and that he chose to write about you instead. You felt extremely flattered, but tried to remind yourself it was only fair as his roommate didn’t know much about you. That left Barry with Danny, leaving the work equally distributed.

“Alright!” Danny enthusiastically spoke as he stood up and stretched after being seated for so long. “We’re all good for Friday!”

“Don’t forget your drafts for class,” Barry warned as he collected his papers and placed them into a folder. He then placed said folder inside his backpack and zipped it up with finality. He looked between the both of you before holding his hand up in farewell. “I’ll see you guys in class!”

“What are you gonna do?” You asked, looking to Danny once Barry had left the café. You noticed Holly had disappeared from her spot at the counter, taking Ross with her. Only a few lone students were around, most of them having left for class or to return to their dorm.

The taller man looked down at you, his eyes suddenly hooded and his mouth quirking into a mischievous smile that was reminiscent of a cat catching the canary. You swallowed hard, suddenly intimidated. You had never seen this look on him before; all you had seen was the happy, excited Danny. You kept your composure though, watching his darkened eyes with your challenging ones, silently threatening him to do his worst; to say whatever he wanted to say. He licked his lips before parting them ever so slightly, his eyes still as foreboding as they could possibly be. Shivers went down your spine despite the insanely hot weather and the lackluster air conditioning in the building. You watched him in anticipation, your mind racing with possibilities of what words were going to come out of his lips, calculated and precise.

“You wanna smoke?”


	4. Bad Influence

You stared at Dan astonished. His façade faded away; or was it even there in the first place? He seemed insecure, and like his mouth was trying to form the words of an apology from his racing mind. He became human in your eyes suddenly; no longer an enigma you constantly referred to him as. With the god-like perception of him lost, you could see he struggled with the same things everyone else did at some point. He became anxious during awkward silences, second-guessed his actions. Your heart pounded incessantly in your chest, demanding your attention be directed at the situation turning train wreck in front of you.

You remembered your first introduction to drugs. One by one, you friends had fallen into it, coming back from weekends boasting about their adventures. They weren't junkies by any means, but some partook in the activity a little more often than others. Then there were your friends who dared to never touch the stuff. While you might have agreed with them when you first started high school, by the end of it, their anti-marijuana speeches were becoming grating. So, after wondering and watching for a few years, your curiosity got the best of you. Joining in with the friends you considered more interesting, you started smoking with them. It was new and exciting and a wonderful relief from the anxiety that always ran rampant inside of you. You fondly remember the summer before school, driving around in someone else's car, smoking someone else' pot. Listening to music and your unfiltered thoughts falling from your mouth. All you had to bring was your treasured pipe; an impulse buy after smoking just once. You thought of the purchase as sealing a contract almost. It was a secret life from most of the world, including your more conservative friends. Now, standing before you was a golden opportunity. You had brought your pipe and some leftovers from the vacation with you here, but being more of a social smoker, you figured it would stay buried at the bottom of your sock drawer. His gaze still held yours strongly, but he remained silent, his mind working a mile a minute.

“Are you uncomfortable with people who smoke?” He finally asked, his voice halting your freight train of thought. His words held an uncertainty, along with a small amount of dejection. Your mind leaped into panic mode, scrambling to figure out what to say in response. You wanted so badly to tell him that you would absolutely love to join him for a smoke session, to watch how he lit a bowl and how he would certainly elegantly exhale the heavy smoke. You wanted to know if he was a heavy smoker or if he was a lightweight, able to be stoned in a few mere hits like you always were. You wanted to hear everything he would say, the words flying out without a trace of an afterthought. You wanted to take him in raw and unfiltered.

“No, no!” You shook your head vigorously, trying extremely hard not to let the ridiculous amount of excitement inside of you boil over into your words. “I just didn’t pin you as that type of person.” You laughed nervously to yourself, but he seemed to visibly relax at your words. “I’m down to smoke.”

“Really?” He asked. You looked at him quizzically, like he thought you were going to turn him down from the get-go. Did he think he had pressured you? Did he see you as some innocent flower he had tainted?

“What do you think I did all summer?” You smirked, catching him off-guard from the way his eyes widened. He finally seemed tame, his mouth quirking into its signature smile. The tension in the air immediately dissipated, and you patted yourself on the back for doing fantastic damage control. Dan adjusted the backpack hanging off of his right shoulder with finality.

“Let’s go then,”

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The campus was a beautiful place. Giant trees towered over the interwoven sidewalks, their overgrown roots warping the concrete beside their massive trunks. The buildings nestled in the midst of greenery were starting to show their age from the crumbling brick and faded paint, but it dusted them in a historical charm. The most comforting part was that the school was built with a neighborhood in mind: Victorian-style homes that cost three times that of your house in Chicago lined the streets, each with their own sleek, expensive car parked out front. Mothers wandered around on campus sidewalks with designer strollers, or with an adorable dog you wished you could stop and pet. It was an odd combination, but it made you feel safe and welcomed. You tried to busy your mind with these useless thoughts while you blindly followed Dan back to his dorm. You stared at the side of his head while conversation flowed naturally between the two of you, your eyes blurring his mass of curls while you wondered why you decided to do this.

You arrived at Dan’s dorm before you knew it. Dorm wasn't the right word, you decided, as he lived in the brand new building reserved for juniors and seniors that had apartment-style rooms. When you approached the often-rumored hall, you admired the beautiful new brick that was a stark contrast to some of the more crumbling buildings on campus. There was red metal trellis over the entrance and fake balconies jutted off of many of the windows on the floors above. You had heard rumors that the higher-end rooms had kitchenettes, smart TVs, and even extra bedrooms. He grabbed the door at the main entrance and held it open before gesturing you inside. The foyer reminded you more of a hotel lobby; it was clean, wide open area with couches and a large flat screen TV bracketed to the wall in front of the seating area. The only other body in the room was another student who sat at a desk off to the left, leaning back in his office chair and scrolling through his phone. The two of you walked by to the silver doors of the elevator. You watched him tap his ID against the scanner before hitting the last number on the panel.

Your heart was racing ridiculously, and you found yourself at a lack of words. You were unsure of what was appropriate to say in a case like this – should you start babbling about memories you had smoking? Should you ask how his day went? Before you could worry yourself too much though, the elevator slowed to a stop and it’s gleaming doors opened before you both. You allowed Dan to step out first to lead the way to his room. After a few mere steps, he paused in front of a door that you assumed was his room. As he fished for his ID again, his phone started ringing. You looked to him and watched as his pulled both his phone and ID from the pocket of his jeans and before he answered the call.

"Oh, hey Debbie!" Dan chirped as he moved the phone to the nook between his shoulder and neck while he held open the door to his dorm room. You quirked your eyebrow at him but entered silently with him following behind.

"Yeah, I'm good! How are things back home?" He asked as he set his bag down next to the door and kicked off his shoes. You followed, deciding it was the polite thing to do. You rested your sandals on a little mat with a mix of shoes belonging to Dan and Barry. He wandered over to the counter in the kitchenette, mouthing for you to make yourself comfortable.

You wandered towards the living area, deciding to take a seat on the couch. It was surprisingly clean for two college students - you were probably messier than the two of them. The sofa you were on had a few tears and questionable stains, which meant to you it was simply a hand-me-down. In front of you was one of the fabled smart TVs bracketed to the wall. Beneath it sat a stand with a record player set up and a small collection of vinyls. A Super Nintendo was nestled in there as well, its controllers strewn across the area rug in front of the couch. The walls were oddly barren, but you figured they saved the personalization for their respective rooms. You decided to make yourself comfortable, kicking your feet up and laying your head against the arm rest while you wasted time on your phone.

You could hear Danny’s laughter ring through the apartment, and to be honest, it irked you the slightest bit. You had no idea who this person was, but all you knew was that you wanted to be the one who made Dan laugh like he just did. It was such a lovely sound, made up of rich giggles that reminded you of a child. It fit him so well. Your heart sank the slightest when you realized it could be his girlfriend. While he had never mentioned it to you, he also had never made it clear he was single either. You knew he was a man dedicated to his singing career, so you figured that left little room for him to pursue a romantic life. You heart sank even deeper into despair at the realization that, yes, a relationship between the two of you was never bound to come to fruition.

"Sorry about that," Danny spoke a few minutes later, breaking the silence. You moved to sit up from your spot, but before you could, he sat down, moving your feet to his side.

"Friend from back home?" You asked as you locked your phone and sat up a bit to tuck it into the back pocket of your shorts. You carefully phrased the question to sound curious rather than nosy. He laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Oh, no. I forgot to mention. Debbie is my mom." You breathed a sigh of relief internally at the news. You also felt really stupid for thinking you were jealous in the first place. It’s hard to be jealous of something that isn’t yours.

"You call your mom by her first name?"

"Yeah! I learned to talk like, way before I was supposed to. I imitated people around me. So I call my parents by their names and I call my grandma Mom."

"Oh."

“So, uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck, his long fingers ducking under his lengthy curls. “We should probably do it in my room so it doesn’t reek when Barry gets back.” You agreed, standing up alongside Dan and following in his footsteps towards one of the closed doors.

Entering Dan's room felt like entering a forbidden location. You stared at the collection of CD's stacked up on tables and dressers. His MacBook was on his bed, open with the screen lit up on some sort of software you weren't familiar with. Blankets and pillows were strewn around the bed, which meant to you he had probably been in his bed working on his computer before he had texted you to meet him.  Posters of bands you had never heard of (okay, you might have heard of a few of them) were hung on the walls the room. The floor was clear of any clothing or random objects, which yet again, you were pleasantly surprised by. You decided to sit on the edge of his bed as he crouched down to dig through his closet. You took this as an opportunity to peek at what he had been working on.

"Are you working on a new song?" You asked, sliding the laptop into your lap.

"Oh, yeah!" He stood up and moved over towards you at his bed. He eyed you, noticing you had commandeered his laptop. "No peeking!"

"I can't see just a little bit?" You pleaded, sliding the computer away a bit from his reaching hand.

“Fine,” He rolled his eyes. “Hand it over.”

You happily complied, allowing him to hold the laptop. He cradled the MacBook in his left arm while his right hand moved along the trackpad, certainly moving to a part of the song he deemed acceptable for you to hear. He finally handed it back, and clicked play. A wonderfully melodic, electronic tune filled the small room and captivated you instantly. When his vocals hit, you were surprised. They sounded like the exact opposite of every one of the Ninja Sex Party videos you had seen; these lyrics lacked vulgar descriptions of sex. They spoke in metaphors and similes, each phrase taking on a whole new meaning in terms of the music and how they lyrics were strung together. It made you appreciate Dan’s voice even more than you thought you could.

“You have such a nice voice,” You commented, your eyes trained on the screen in front of you. “Too bad you waste it talking about your dick.” You flashed him a snarky smile and he pretended to pout.

“Hey, my dick is a serious topic!” He defended before snatching his laptop from your cradling hands. He slammed it shut and moved it to his dresser. “I don’t have to share my pot with you, you know.” He threatened as he returned to his closet.

“Oh, please Daniel.” You cooed, pretending to fawn over him like a fan girl; something you were sure he dealt with often. You threw the back of your hand over your forehead before falling backwards into his mountain of pillows. His scent filled your nostrils immediately, and you realized it was a smell you could grow accustomed to. “I do apologize. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.” He looked over his shoulder at you and giggled, his laughter making you swell with happiness. You were convinced this man was made of fucking concentrated sunshine. He finally stood up, a glimmering pipe in his hands that was already packed. He climbed onto his bed, moving to sit next to you with his legs crossed.

“Five of your meal swipes.” He demanded. You shot up and narrowed your eyes at him.

“Really?” You laughed. “The food here is mediocre at best. Sure you don’t want something from a restaurant downtown?”

“Are you asking me on a date, (Y/N)?” Danny smirked at you, causing your face to flush in realization. What sort of hole had you just dug yourself into?

“I just think your request is dumb,” You crossed your arms and huffed, pretending the idea had never even crossed your mind. “I don’t even know why I’m trying to make you take a better offer!”

“You don’t owe me anything,” He giggled while he reached into his bedside table. “If we were to go to a restaurant, I would pay.” He pulled out a lighter and began twirling it with his long fingers.

“Are you asking me out on a date, Dan?” You teased as he handed the paraphernalia over to you. Finally, things had gone back under your control.

“I wouldn’t mind grabbing a bite with you,” He answered easily, as if you two were talking about the scorching weather outside. You stared, awestruck at what was happening before you. Unsure of what to say, you realized you might as well get high to make the whole situation easier on you. You placed the pipe to your lips and breathed deeply as you flicked the lighter, the flame engulfing the end. You passed it to Dan before blowing the smoke out into the stale air of his bedroom. It ended with a small fit of coughing, which left you a little embarrassed.

"It's been a while," You hopelessly explained as he gave you that shit eating smirk again.

"Oh, I'm sure it has."

"Show me how it's done then, asshole."

As soon as the words left your lips, you instantly regret it. Dan looked at you, his face a blank canvas. You could feel your own flushing in embarrassment, afraid of the unknown thoughts running through his head. Dan then lit the bud and took a huge hit, pulling off when he couldn't inhale anymore. Your eyes traced his prominent jawline and his lips as they parted ever so slightly to allow the smoke to filter through them. It billowed out in large stream while his eyes fluttered closed, focused on his actions. You could feel your heartbeat increasing quickly, along with the burning desire you were trying desperately to quench. When his eyes opened again, he faced you with a large grin on his face. You looked away immediately, trying to hide the flush of arousal that was certainly staining your skin and making your attraction ever so obvious.

"Okay, show-off." You muttered, snatching the pipe back. You avoided his gaze while you tried to focus on the pipe to remove the redness from your being. You noticed there was still a flame and inhaled, subconsciously trying to prove yourself to the older man. It ended with more coughing, but you could still feel yourself relaxing, your nervousness unfurling from its seat in the pit of your stomach. He looked to you once again, his lips having never lost the shit-eating smirk.

"You want some help with that?" He asked, his eyes half-lidded in an attempt to look seductive. You leaned back a bit and huffed. You knew he was being extremely overdramatic in his behavior, but it was only adding to the fire that was engulfing the core of your very being.

"No," You grumbled, trying to flick the lighter to life.

"You're so stubborn," He took the pipe from your hand while he laughed airily, like a father would to their daughter who was pouting. He flicked the lighter on easily, your eyes observing how the blue flame scorched the bud while he inhaled with the grace of a swan. His hair was a frizzy, fluffy curtain around his face, his eyes focused on the pipe before him. He set the glassware down on his bedside table before turning to you. Butterflies instantly swarmed your stomach while your body turned into a live wire, ready to jolt at a moment’s notice. The space between the both of you was suddenly non-existent. His hand stroked the side of side of your face delicately before he leaned in. Anxiety sparked a fire within you, your mind skidding to a halt. His lips brushed yours before smoke billowed out, curling into your face. Your mouth dropped open on its own accord and you inhaled slowly, your eyes falling closed while excitement ran rampant throughout your body. Your arms that were holding you up were threatening to tremble. When you exhaled, you couldn't help a smile from emerging, but he grinned back just as strong. The eye contact held between you two was smoldering. His gaze felt as if he was boring into the depths of your mind and combing through your deepest fears and desires, silently quelling each individual one. You wanted to turn away in embarrassment at what was blossoming, but instead, he returned, his lips meeting yours gently in a proper kiss. His hand returned to your cheek, cupping it as if you were made of porcelain while the other was splayed on the bed respectfully, the blanket crumpled up beneath it. When you two pulled away ever so slowly, his eyes widened and he turned away quickly, looking down at his feet.

"Oh my God, I should have asked if that was okay-"

"Dan," He paused his babbling and looked at you. "It's okay." You didn’t know whether it was your logical side talking, or the one that was being numbed by drugs. You decided you really didn’t care. You weren’t going to think about tomorrow, or the rest of the week. You were going to hold onto the moment, instead living with having what you desired the most right now. Your legs felt fuzzy, comparable to static on a TV screen, but more ticklish.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah,” You laughed for no particular reason, and tried to look at him through your half-lidded eyes. “It’s cool.”

“You’re really cute.” He sighed, falling back onto his pillows. You followed his lead, falling beside him while giggling at how odd the sensation felt. You were really, really high. “I’m a bad influence,”

“You’re cute too,” The filter between your brain and mouth had disappeared, leaving you with disastrous word-vomit to spew. Sometimes it was refreshing and left you with better friendships, but in this case, you wished you had some control over what you were saying. “And maybe I like bad influences.”

Dan turned to look at you and grinned.


	5. Mixed Signals

"Where were you last night?" Suzy's voice rang through the room as she frantically climbed down from her loft, her bare feet slapping against the metal bars of the ladder. Her hair was wrapped up in a neat ponytail, but her face was void of any makeup. She looked comfortable in a large black hoodie and some athletic shorts. "I texted you like three times! I was getting worried." She waved her phone that was adorned in a black, gothic case for emphasis.

"I'm super sorry," You began, setting down your backpack. While you adored Suzy to death, you really didn’t want to be hounded as soon as you walked into the room. You assumed it was fair for not answering her in a timely manner. You were roommates; you had to look out for each other. You rubbed your eyes, certainly smudging your day-old makeup even more. "I was working with Dan and Barry on our project yesterday after class and I must have passed out there."

"Really?" A wicked smile crossed the girl's face. "Then how come when I had breakfast with Barry this morning, he told me-"

Your face immediately fell, along with your stomach. "It's not what you think."

Suzy blinked, clearly taken aback by your sudden change in tone. “(Y/N), is everything alright? Did something happen?” She moved to take a step towards you, but you immediately turned to your dresser to grab some clean clothes.

"Just let me shower first," You decided, trying to put off the inevitable. Suzy nodded her head solemnly and turned to her desk. You last saw her pulling out a textbook before you closed the door and headed down the hallway to the communal showers.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You awoke gently, sunlight streaming in through half-closed blinds, the rays casting shadows over your bare thighs. You felt comfortable, blankets strewn across your form while you head was pressed into comfy pillows. The mattress felt amazing against your back, a stark contrast to the awful one you dealt with in your loft bed. You closed your eyes again, wanting to drift back into a comfortable sleep.

You weren't in your dorm room.

You sat up, looking around the room before the familiarity set in. You were in Dan's room, and more importantly, Dan's bed. Last night’s events washed over you like a salty ocean wave, knocking you back. _Dan kissed you._ The mere thought of his lips against yours, the smile you felt in the kiss, and the scratch of stubble against your skin made butterflies flutter in your stomach. You looked to the other side of the bed, and found it empty and cold. You struggled to remember if he had even shared the bed with you to begin with. After the kiss, you two had just laid and talked about anything and everything under the sun. You don’t even remember falling asleep. Before you could even glance at the time, the door knob jiggled, causing panic to spike inside of you. You didn’t want Barry to wander in, wondering what had happened between the two of you. You sighed when you saw that familiar mop of hair wander in, a surprised look on his face.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up," He teased. He leaned against the door frame, shirtless with only a pair of plaid pajama pants. His hair was a massive mess, clearly the product of just waking up and the lack of a shower. Your eyes traced the curvature of this thin body, focusing especially on his protruding hip bones. Hair was splattered along his chest, and you could see the beginnings of a happy trail resting right above the waistband. It was quickly snapping you out of your sleep-induced trance and luring you into another, quite desirable one. You ran a hand through your hair and sighed heavily. You really didn't want Danny seeing you when you were in such a desperate need of a shower.

"What time is it?" You asked, rubbing your eyes.

"A little past noon," He answered. "Jesus, you look like a raccoon." Panic immediately shot through you. You had missed your speech class this morning. You looked to Dan with wide eyes.

"Dude, we missed class!"

"Um, _you_ missed class." He laughed to himself. "Barry and I went."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" You groaned loudly, throwing a pillow at him to make yourself feel a little better about the situation at hand. You would never miss a class during your first week of school - this was so unlike you. Dan grabbed the pillow midair, giggling like a child.

"I was letting you sleep!" He defended, smiling. "We covered for you, don't worry."

You immediately swelled with affection towards the older man, your panic settling down to a dull roar. You smiled, and muttered a small thanks in appreciation for his actions. "Also, don't throw pillows unless you're trying to start a fight. Because I'm the fucking pillow fighting champion."

He came at you, the pillow loaded in his hand like a bullet in a gun. You recoiled, laughing and yelling apologies as he crawled on the bed, wailing on you with the fluffy pillow. Your combined laughter rang through the air as you kicked and pushed the beanpole who was assaulting you. Eventually, he heeded your pleas for a cease fire and stopped his attack, instead falling beside you on the bed. The two of you were huffing and puffing from the activity, but after a few moments, silence filled the room.

"Last night," Dan broke the silence first, his fingers deftly fumbling with the hem of the pillowcase. You felt your blood turn to ice, the butterflies suddenly dying in your stomach. You sucked in a breath, unsure of what was possibly going to be said. You looked down, trying to focus on something, anything other than Dan and the terrible sinking feeling in your stomach.

"Yeah?" You pressed, trying your best to keep your voice as nonchalant as possible. Like this man had absolutely no effect on you.

"I'm, uh," The bed creaked as he leaned back against the headboard. "I hope I didn't cross any boundaries or anything." You felt your stress immediately melt away like an ice cube in the LA sunshine. You smiled, meeting his gaze.

"No," You murmured, your voice genuine and your features soft. Dan's face seemed to visibly relax at the words, and he met your grin with his own. Still, he didn't seem fully comfortable, so you figured you would apologize as well. "I, um, I hope I didn't cross any either." Your fingers deftly fiddled with a pillow laying in your lap.

"I think it was a bad decision on both our parts." He laughed.

 Your stomach felt like it dropped twelve stories. You looked ahead, focusing on the stitching in the comforter in front of you. Anything to take your mind off of those words that were hanging in the air like a lead weight between the two of you. _Bad decision._ The words were ringing in your head, reiterating the idea that you were a complete fucking idiot. That you were a fool for ever thinking something would come of this. _Just a stupid freshman out of her league_. You could feel tears starting to prick at the corners of your eyes, but you told yourself to stop being weak. That he wasn’t worth it.

"Yeah. It's been a while since I got high." You felt the world start to fall apart around you. You stood from the bed, your body moving on autopilot. Words flowing from your mouth robotically. "I should head back to my room. Sorry for crashing here."

"Nah, it's cool." You allowed yourself to look back, and instantly regret it. He was giving you one of his signature smiles, one that could melt even the coldest of hearts and brighten even the worst day. You felt sick to your stomach.

"See you in class Friday!"

"See you."

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“You really like him, huh?” Suzy murmured as she brushed through your wet hair. You looked down at the rug the two of you were sitting on, ashamed of your feelings. You slowly nodded your head.

“I’m pathetic,” You sighed, feeling your embarrassment over your crush flare up tenfold.

“Not at all!” Suzy exclaimed, setting down the hair brush on the floor with finality. “Dan is a really sweet guy with a big heart. I don’t think he meant it the way you think.”

You turned around to face Suzy, confusion painted on your features.

“How else could he have meant it?” You asked incredulously. The last thing you wanted was his friends involved, humoring your crush or even pushing him into something just to appease you. The sickness in your stomach returned.

“I think he doesn’t wanna fuck it up.” She slowly smiled. “Because I think he likes you too.”


	6. Slaying Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has left comments and kudos on this. I know I don't update very frequently, but it keeps me going knowing that I have people who enjoy reading this as much as I do writing it. So, again, thank you all very much.

After Suzy’s severely needed pep-talk, you felt motivated. You managed to make it to your other classes that day, making you feel a bit better about your status as a college student. When you returned to your dorm, you immediately got to work on all of your homework, and more importantly, writing your speech on Barry. It was simple, considering the long list of notes you had on him. You had Suzy read it over a few times, and she suggested a few more things that she knew about her best friend for you to add. After getting ahead on all of your work, you were too exhausted to think about Dan as you drifted off to sleep. 

He was even further from your thoughts the next morning when you walked to class with Arin and Ross, the two of them talking excitedly about a TV show idea Ross had been tossing around in his head for a while. Arin enthusiastically told Ross to go for it, even offering his help. You were surprised when they both turned to you expectantly, like it was implied you would be on this small team to help make a cartoon for television. You smiled and agreed just as enthusiastically, thrilled to be considered in their grand plans. Class went by quickly – Arin and you worked diligently with few words spoken while Ross took an open seat and worked himself having been motivated by your morning conversation. The three of you stayed well after class ended, engrossed in your work.

It quickly turned into a helpful crash-course in animation after a question you had asked Ross after taking a look at your stilted movement. Arin then joined in, the two of them helping you with fluid movements and some neat keyboard shortcuts you had been neglecting in the software. No one bothered to look up from their work until the door opened and Suzy stood there with Holly in tow, laughing about how they knew their boyfriends would be here. They seemed surprised to see you there as well, but didn’t mention it as they instead deemed it was time for you guys to eat something. You didn’t complain because when you logged off the computer, your stomach growled loudly in protest for being neglected. You were ashamed to admit it was already evening, the sun starting to set outside. More than excited to grab some food, you jumped up to join the group. 

Everything was going wonderfully until Arin opened his mouth. 

“Dan said he’ll meet us there.” He announced, causing the murmur among the group to become pleased before they asked Suzy if Barry was coming as well, clearly hoping for the whole group to join them. Ross then suggested you all head to the sushi restaurant off campus for dinner, and that’s when you tuned out. You felt the blood drain from your face, and your heart rate increase dramatically. Suzy looked at you sympathetically, so you tried to smile to assure her not to worry about you. You then looked down at your phone, moving in the group to stand beside her and Holly as you all filed out of the computer science building and back into the scorching southern California heat. 

There was a large parking tower on campus near the athletic buildings, but you never had a reason to head over there considering you didn’t have a car of your own. There wasn’t much of a need for one, considering everything that you would need is within walking distance. According to Ross, this restaurant was too far to walk in the 90 degree weather.

“You guys have a car?” You asked incredulously. Ross laughed. 

“I don’t, but Holly does.” He shrugged. “We’re not all gonna fit in her car though.” 

“So who’s driving?” 

Immediately after the words left your mouth, you heard the telltale giggle of Dan Avidan. You spun around, and saw him smiling at Arin, his hand on the stockier man’s shoulder. He was wearing a faded Def Leppard t-shirt and his trademark leather jacket and jeans. You wondered how he wasn’t constantly sweating, considering you were almost always boiling in shorts and a tank top. His hair was a bit more tame than usual, but that wasn’t saying much. He seemed to have also brought Barry in tow, as he was conversing with Suzy. Ross left your side to speak to Barry as well, leaving you along amongst the group of people. You moved beside Suzy, hating how you were now clinging to her for dear life. She didn’t seem to mind, instead forcing you into the conversation by asking if you had ever had sushi before. You kept your response short, unable to really focus on getting engrossed in the discussion surrounding you. You kept watching Dan, unable to turn away from the older man. You watched as he talked with Arin, studying the way his face moved with each word spoken. The butterflies you had grown too familiar with had returned tenfold when you watched him erupt into laughter and head-butt Arin, whom was giggling. You couldn’t tear your eyes away, no matter how creepy you knew he was being. You instead found yourself yearning to be in Arin’s position. To make matters worse, when Dan composed himself, he caught your gaze, and he gave you an illuminating smile and a small wave. You tried to return a smile that was just as an enthusiastic. 

You were surprised to see him greet you with such an animated gesture. You were sure there would be some residual awkwardness after what happened when you scurried out of his dorm room the previous morning. You then figured you would be the only one acting awkward, considering he’s probably trying to move on from it. That thought hurt, and it hurt much more than you thought it would. You decided your feelings weren’t going to ruin what could be a fantastic friendship with Dan, so you figured you should take Suzy’s advice – logical thinking. You needed to calm down and take things one day at a time, feeling for his emotions and not pushing. Your feelings would thank you for considering them and their obsession with Dan along with a small glimmer of hope that what she told you was true. Your mind just wanted you to act normal about something for once in your life. 

“Let’s go,” Suzy groaned, breaking you from your close to self-loathing thoughts. “I’m starving!” 

Walking further through the garage, you saw the vast array of colors, makes, and models on either side of the aisle. You quickly learned that a lot of students at the school came from wealth by the large amount of brand new cars sporting the resident parking sticker. You weren't surprised to see everyone crowding around an older, tan Infiniti SUV before slowly piling inside. Ross and Holly took the very back row, while Suzy, Arin, and Barry took the middle. You felt panic shoot through you immediately at the realization that you had been given the front passenger seat. Which meant you had to sit next to Dan for the duration of the drive, most likely leaving you to converse with only him as conversation remained contained to the back and- 

"After you," Dan bowed forward slightly, holding the door to the passenger side open for you. You didn't know when he had stood beside you, let alone opened the door. You smiled, mentally kicking yourself to kill off the butterflies in your stomach. 

"Thank you, good sir." You answered dramatically before climbing inside and situating yourself. He grinned before closing the door for you. You watched as he walked around to the other side, feeling what you assumed was the palpable awkwardness melt away back to your pining love sickness. Your brain was screaming at you to stop acting like such a fool, but your body was enjoying this emotional roller-coaster. It craved the butterflies and the awkward kisses. It craved to melt at his smiles and his infectious giggles. It was driving you up a wall but in the best way possible. 

"I think Dan has a crush," Arin teased, his voice as over-dramatic as ever. “And it’s not me.” 

\----  
"Dude, try this!" Dan exclaimed, grabbing a piece of sushi from one of the many trays on the table with his chopsticks. The restaurant was beautiful - it had relaxed, dim lighting with a large bar along the wall where you saw the chefs preparing the trays to be sent out. The seven of you were seated at the only traditional Japanese style table they had. It was in the front window of the shop on a raised platform, but the blinds had been drawn to keep the atmosphere. A pile of all of your shoes lay beside the step while you all sat on the pillows around the table. You had the privilege of eating sushi a couple times before back home, but nothing of this caliber. You grabbed your own pair of chopsticks and tried to gently take the piece of sushi from him. Instead, you wrestled with the piece, not quite having the hang of how to use the instruments. 

“Just open your mouth,” He laughed, and you complied, setting your wooden sticks on the table before parting your painted lips. He dropped it in casually and you chewed thoughtfully for a bit before your face lit up as you deemed the taste satisfying.

“That’s so fucking good,” You moaned. You grabbed your chopsticks to grab more from the tray Dan had taken the original piece from. “I need like ten more of those.”

"Jesus, get a room." Ross groaned from across the table, smirking as he chewed on his sushi.

“Shut up, Ross.”

Things felt normal again, and you couldn’t understand why. You thought you would be much more upset, and would be subconsciously trying to keep a distance from Dan. Instead, it seemed like you were drawn to him against your will, your best parts of your personality shining through when you were around him. After he had broken the ice, it was easy for you to forget what had happened, leaving the two of you to banter the entire evening away, with lots of shoving and jokes included. You did notice that the others were keeping their eyes on the two of you more often, but you figured it could be explained as just being friends. That’s all it was going to be, right? You tried to ignore that fact in an effort to keep the night fun. You could hate yourself later.

Once you all had finished your food and the check was split, Ross suggested a Smash tournament in the lounge on Dan and Barry’s floor in their dorm. Since most of the people who occupied that building were old enough to legally drink, he said it was usually deserted during the evenings. There was a collective hum of approval, and you all piled back into Dan’s car and headed back to campus. This time, it turned into a massive singalong with everyone yelling out lyrics to the hits on the radio. In the short, fleeting ride back, you had a moment of reflection. In the midst of the yelling surrounding you, you felt accepted in this massive group of talented people, and that your input mattered. You thought about your irrational fears that plagued you on the flight to California, and even the nights before then in your room back home. You thought for the worst, hell, even prepared for the worst, but never once considered that something good could come out of this new experience. You honestly never imagined having your life changed for the better so quickly. You figured that if they could all make you this happy as friends, then Dan could be a part of that. So, you sang along as loud as everyone else, throwing yourself wholeheartedly into the experience without once worrying if you would get hurt.

When you all pulled up to the dorm, everyone jumped out and began the walk down the winding sidewalk to the dorm. You went to open the door, but stopped yourself. Dan was going to have to go to the other side of campus to park his car, and you felt bad making him walk back alone. So, you stayed in your seat, causing Dan to look at you with confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Suzy, whom was still standing on the sidewalk with Arin, the two of them holding hands.

“Aren’t you coming?” She asked.

“Yeah, I’m gonna drop the car off with Dan.” You smiled. “I don’t wanna make him walk back alone.”

“They just wanna make out while we’re not there.” Arin stage-whispered to Suzy, who laughed.

“Shut up,” You groaned. You watched as the two of them walked down the sidewalk before disappearing in the midst of trees and bushes. You and Dan pulled away from the curb, continuing your casual drive down the residential streets.

"You could have stayed with everyone, you know." He began, turning down the thumping stereo to a quiet murmur. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I can protect myself from the mean streets.”

"This is like, white suburbia.” You laughed. “I really didn't wanna make you walk alone. That’s not fair after driving us all around." Dan gave a snicker, his left hand clutching the top of the wheel as the car rolled to a gentle stop at the sign. He turned to look at you, a grin still plastered on his face. You glanced around, noting that he could have rolled the stop if he really wanted to, considering there wasn't a single moving car around. A few students were walking along the sidewalks, going either back to their dorms or down the hill to the athletic buildings. It felt like time itself paused along with the car, leaving your heart thumping in your ears, drowning out the already low music. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly.

"I appreciate it," He decided on saying before turning forward to look at the road. You exhaled a breath you didn't know you were even holding. The car lurched forward again, coasting down the hill to the parking tower. You leaned back into the worn leather seat, focusing on the faded music of some 80's rock band that you had never heard of. The tension was palpable in the air after Dan's forced words, his extreme effort in holding back permeating the air of the cabin, making you feel like you were going to suffocate. In too short of time, Dan returned to his space, parking the car and turning off the ignition. You unbuckled yourself, but slowed your movements when you saw the older man hadn't moved an inch. You let your seat belt slowly retract back into the wall of the SUV before studying Dan.

"You okay?" You asked hesitantly. You wanted more than anything to leap out of the car and to run like a madman back to your dorm, locking yourself inside for the next 3 years. You knew that was illogical, and again, your brain was begging you to take Suzy's well-informed advice. Danny turned to look at you, his brown eyes sparkling from the dim lighting of the sunset outside.

"I, uh," He rubbed the back of his neck before giggling to himself. You smiled, arching your brow in confusion. You felt like you were actually going to die if you didn't know what he had to say.

"I meant what I said the other night."

You felt your blood freeze. So many words had fallen from each of your mouths that night, your combined inhibitions drowned from intoxication. One blaringly obvious choice of words stuck out though in your head - _he had called you cute_. You tried to tell yourself that, no, that wasn’t what he was talking about, and he was probably referring to something insignificant to you that maybe meant the world to him. Was it the song you were looking at? You frantically scrambled to decipher what he meant.

"What are you talking about?" You blinked owlishly at him. Honesty was always the best route. "We said a lot of stuff that night."

"You are really cute," He spurted out, like he couldn't keep the words inside him any longer. You stared at him for a moment, letting the words sink in. Dan Avidan had just called you cute while sober. All of your worries and fears were tossed out that window that instant, like smoke emptying a room. It left you with your clear thoughts and emotions, the ones that had driven you to his room that afternoon and into a similar position you were in now.

"If we're being honest here," You started, your leg starting to shake on its own accord to ease some of the pent-up energy from the anxiety you felt most of the evening. "I thought you were upset cause I crossed a boundary with the…you know."

"Wait, what?" It was now his turn to look at you, confusion painted in his charming features. "No, I just thought because you were high that I might have forced you-"

"Oh my God, Danny!" You giggled again, causing his words to falter and instead face you. The rush of relief caused you to erupt into laughter, your head falling onto his shoulder before you softly punched his leather-clad arm. You felt comfortable in his presence once again, the previously suffocating awkwardness gone. "Here I thought you like, hated me or something."

"I don't think I could hate you," He giggled, causing you to lift your head and look at him. You blushed immediately at how close the two of you were, and how Dan didn't seem to mind, not recoiling whatsoever. You nudged him playfully.

"You just don't know me well enough yet." You retorted, your voice soft. Self-deprecating humor was always a wonderful response to a compliment. _Stupid_.

"I'd like to," His tone of voice was just as calm and quiet, causing your blush to return tenfold. You couldn't help but grin, his stereotypical response causing a heat to bloom deep inside you.

"I meant everything I said too." You murmured, flicking your eyes downward before glancing back up at him. You studied his features - ones you could never, ever get tired of. Your brain that had been begging you to act like a friend all night disappeared, having been drowned out by hormones and emotions that were begging for any sort of contact between the two of you. His presence itself was like a drug, altering your thinking patterns and drawing you into him like a metal to a powerful magnet. You felt like you had no control over yourself, but you also felt like a whole new being had overcome you – one that was broken from its shy shell, exuding confidence and an explosive happiness that left you with a feeling of floating on clouds.

His hand cupped your cheek, and you leaned into the touch, your skin electrified by the contact. Your body craved so much more, but was rewarded when he leaned in and touched his lips to yours. You expected the feeling to be dulled since you were sober, but it was just as mind-blowing as the first encounter. You were hyper-aware of how his stray hairs tickled your face, having been matted by the intense humidity. You reveled in the taste of sushi and green tea ice cream still fresh on his lips. You moved with him like a wave, allowing him to pull you in before slowly washing you ashore, gasping for air. When the two of you parted, you looked at his glazed eyes and his swollen lips, your body exploding like fireworks in the night sky.

"I wanna take you on a date," He asked, his breath dancing over your face like the coolest breeze on a sweltering summer day. "If that's okay?"

"Yeah," You murmured. "That would be great."


End file.
